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    The Little Book of Incredibly Useful Knots: 200 Practical Knots for Sailors, Climbers, Campers & Other Adventurers
    The Little Book of Incredibly Useful Knots: 200 Practical Knots for Sailors, Climbers, Campers & Other Adventurers
    The Little Book of Incredibly Useful Knots: 200 Practical Knots for Sailors, Climbers, Campers & Other Adventurers
    Ebook647 pages2 hours

    The Little Book of Incredibly Useful Knots: 200 Practical Knots for Sailors, Climbers, Campers & Other Adventurers

    By Geoffrey Budworth and Jason Dalton

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    About this ebook

    Learn to apply the right knot for any situationa guide for the home, backpack, or boat.

    The fundamental skill of tying knots is useful in countless situations, both indoors and out. The Little Book of Incredibly Useful Knots teaches you which knot to choose and exactly how to tie it, whether you’re constructing a trout fly, repairing a hammock, mooring a boat, securing a load to a car roof rack, or engaging in a rescue or survival situation.

    Compiled and written by two experts on the subject, this is an invaluable manual that explains through clear line diagrams and step-by-step descriptions how to tie more than two hundred practical knots, grouped by construction and tying method. Every entry contains a brief introduction to the history and development of the knot, its alternative names, and information on its uses and special features. Types of knots detailed include:

    Wagoner’s hitch
    Englishman’s loop
    Scaffold knot
    Cordelette anchor
    Trident loop
    Lobster buoy hitch

    The book also contains a comprehensive glossary of terms to guide you through the complexities of different rope types. It helps you choose the right rope for every task.

    Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for fishermen. Our books for anglers include titles that focus on fly fishing, bait fishing, fly-casting, spin casting, deep sea fishing, and surf fishing. Our books offer both practical advice on tackle, techniques, knots, and more, as well as lyrical prose on fishing for bass, trout, salmon, crappie, baitfish, catfish, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSkyhorse
    Release dateApr 5, 2016
    ISBN9781510706576
    The Little Book of Incredibly Useful Knots: 200 Practical Knots for Sailors, Climbers, Campers & Other Adventurers

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      Book preview

      The Little Book of Incredibly Useful Knots - Geoffrey Budworth

      Introduction

      Knots are more numerous than the stars; and equally mysterious and beautiful.

      DR. JOHN TURNER, 1988

      Learn just one helpful knot, use it often, and the cost of this book will be amply repaid. Acquire several knots, and life will never be the same. For, just as being able to cook, garden, swim, read a map, or administer first aid enhances self-reliance and impresses friends, so knowing the ropes (being knotwise) is the key to fresh experiences.

      Cave dwellers tied the first few knots; a piece of knotted fishing net, found in peat bog in what is today Finland, has been dated to 7,200 BC. Now there are thousands of bends, hitches, lashings, and loops, more than 200 of which are included here. Some have names that still evoke how and by whom they were once tied: the wagoner’s hitch, highwayman’s hitch, surgeon’s knot, farmer’s halter hitch, and hangman’s noose. Bellringers, shopkeepers, linesmen and lumberjacks, trappers and tree surgeons all used a knot or two peculiar to their trades or callings.

      Now, whether you engage in demanding outdoor pursuits or need to secure a load to your roof rack, want to tie a bandage or go fishing, there is a knot that will do the job—and this book shows you how. But, as Charles L. Spencer noted in his Knots, Splices and Fancywork, I have found many instances of different names for the same knot . . . and I have had to compromise in some cases.

      In this book, knots are grouped loosely according to construction and tying method, and not always according to use. Up-to-date knotting flourishes on the Internet, where numerous web masters represent every kind of knot application, from the basic to the bizarre. In 1990 the New Zealand professor Vaughan Jones was even awarded a Field’s Medal (the mathematician’s equivalent of a Nobel Prize) for original work in theoretical knotting.

      Read on and learn more about the fundamental—yet fascinating—art, craft, and science of knots.

      GEOFFREY BUDWORTH

      Bends

      A bend is the generic term used to describe a knot that joins together two lengths of rope. It should be capable of being untied relatively easily, except when it is tied in fine line. The bends in this section range from the general-purpose (such as the sheet bend) to specialized anglers’ knots (such as the mono braid bend and the nail knot).

      Square knot

      The square knot is used to join two lines of the same thickness and material. The knot starts with a simple overhand (see page 292), followed by another in reverse. Incorrectly tying this knot will result in a granny knot, which is much weaker and should be avoided. The square knot will slip if tension is not kept on it, and should be backed up (see page 15) whenever possible.

      Begin by overlaying the two lines (1). Pass the working end once around the other line and bring the ends to the top (2). Then pass the working end once more around the other line, in the opposite direction to the first step (3). An easy way to tie this knot (4) correctly every time is to remember left over right, right over left when forming the overhands.

      Slipped square knot

      The slipped square knot is generally used when something needs to be secured to a post or spar, but must be capable of being released quickly—for example, to secure netting to an overhead pole for mending, or for lashing to a pole a flag that needs to be unfurled quickly.

      Begin by wrapping a length of rope around the post and the item to be secured. Lay the left-hand rope on top of the right, then pass the left end beneath the other rope (1). Now form a bight in the right-hand end, and place it on top of the other rope, passing the free end over the bight and through the loop (2). Pull the working bight and opposite end to tighten the knot (3). The finished knot (4) can be quickly untied by pulling the free end of the bight.

      Double slipped square knot

      Secure shoelaces with this knot—rather than with the double slipped granny knot habitually used by many people—and they are less likely to come inconveniently untied. Also use it in ribbon or pretty string to giftwrap packages.

      Tie a half-knot, left over right (1). Make a bight in each end and tie a second half-knot, right over left (2), then pull both loops to tighten the knot (3, 4). Tug either end or both ends to undo it.

      Thief knot

      This binding knot is superficially identical to the reef or square knot; but, since its short ends emerge on opposite sides, it slips and jams when loaded and so is unreliable. It is a maverick, often used to demonstrate how closely related knots can have distinctly different characters. Tying it, too, is done differently.

      Make a bight in one end of the cord (1). Insert the other end up through it, then wrap it around to enclose both legs of the initial bight (2). Tuck it back beside its own standing part (3). To tighten the knot grasp both parts of one cord, both parts of the other cord, and pull in opposite directions.

      Overhand bend

      This seemingly weak knot, fit only for domestic-quality string and twine, does in fact have a place in the repertoire of climbing knots. It is used during rope retrieval, when it is claimed that it is less likely than some other knots to catch and stick on rocky edges and in crevices. The overhand bend is also reportedly employed on soft sandstone, where jamming metal hardware may be banned, to tie stoppers in short runners and slings. The knot is quick and simple to tie.

      In a pair of ends, tie an overhand knot (1, 2). Leave a 6-inch (15-cm) tail in each end (3). Do not use this knot to join ropes of greatly different size or construction.

      Backing up knots

      Most knots (such as this square knot) will gain considerable security and strength when a simple backup is placed around the standing end, using the working end. A backup should be used whenever large weights or safety are a concern.

      You can use a simple overhand knot (see page 292) as a backup by passing the working end of a finished knot beneath the standing part and back around to the front; then cross the working end in front and down through the loop you have just created (1, 2). In this way you form an overhand knot (3) that will prevent the end of the main knot from slipping.

      Japanese square knot

      This neat and symmetrical two-strand knot can embellish the lanyard holding a knife, whistle, or stopwatch, can secure a fashionable neck scarf, or fasten off a robe’s waist tie.

      Form a bight in one cord and pass the working end of the other up through it (1). Then pass the cord around the bight to encircle it (2). Pick up the other (so far inactive) end and make a locking tuck (3). Pull evenly, a bit at a time, on each of the four ends in turn to tighten the knot (4).

      Figure-eight bend

      This is a secure knot for joining two lines of equal thickness, but it is difficult to untie it after it has been loaded heavily.

      In one working end, make a loop in the line so that the working end emerges above the loop. Wrap the working end around and under the standing part so that you can feed the end through the loop you have created, from above to below (1). With the other line, retrace the figure eight, following the same path in the opposite direction (2). Now retrace the lead of both strands, removing unwanted twists (3). Turn the work over to check that all ugly crossings (which could weaken the knot) have been eliminated, and the ends will be seen to emerge on opposite sides of the knot (4). Pull it tight.

      Fisherman’s knot

      The fisherman’s knot joins two lines in a secure bend. The single fisherman’s knot shown here is useful for small lines and will hold in slippery material, such as monofilament line.

      Start by overlaying the two lines so that the working ends face in opposite directions (1). Make a small loop in the nearest line and take it around the second line, then pass the working end through the loop to form an overhand (2). Repeat the process with the second line, tying it around the first line (3); it is useful to turn the entire working around after the first overhand to ensure that you tie identical parts. When tied correctly, the standing ends can be pulled so that

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